Morning Craps

I like to get up before the kids and have a cup of coffe while watching the news and facebooking, checking e-mail, catching up on blogs or just reading. I set my alarm for 6 am thinking that I will be able do all of the above. Most of this summer this hasn't happened. Why, you ask? I know what you're thinking. It's because I continually hit the snooze button to get those extra 9, 18, 27 (good math huh?) more minutes of shuteye. Nope. The reason is (Okay, I hit it once) Miss Maya decided early in the summer, that 6 am is a great time to soil her diaper and wake up.

Is my girl taking some sort of fiber pill at night so she can do this? It never fails. My alarm goes off at 6. I hit snooze and two minutes or so later, I hear talking on the monitor. Crap. No pun intended. To lay there or not to lay there. Laying in bed longer could mean serious diaper rash. Better get up. But what if she didn't and she's just woken up by the sun beaming into her room? I get up.

Yep, just standing in her doorway, the unmistakeable odor has already made its way to the hallway.

Now the big question. How in the world do I stop this so I can selfishly get some alone time? She's lucky she adorable.

Tonight's observing...

I brought my baby girl home from the hospital a year ago. Tonight, I am watching her walk around the living room. She takes 8 or so steps and then either falls on her tush or grabs onto something. She's come up to me now and is playing peek-a-boo from behind the screen. She's walking away and went ahead and took away a monster truck from Hayden's lineup. She's back. Playing peek-a-boo. And now off to the trucks again. Man she's a speed demon! I am typing as she's going. Maybe Mr. Weinrich didn't teach me how to type fast....
Hayden, as I said, has his monster trucks all lined up (she's back) on the crease from the automan and chair. He's gonna be four in less than two months. Augh. I can't get over how fast these kids are growing. I knew they were going to grow up, but geez!
I can tell Maya is learning knew things each day. She loves emptying boxes, tubs, buckets of toys and putting them back inside. She's starting to catch on that the bottle is leaving her and the sippy cup will be taking over soon. She knows the word NO when it's said to her. She puts (she's gotten ahold of 2 monster trucks. Hayden got captivated by the TV), anyway, she puts her baby into it's stroller (okay sometimes head down) and takes it out. She knows Daddy has a bit of a soft spot only for her.
Hayden goes back to preschool next Monday!!! If you are a mom of a three year old, at one time or another, this is the best thing to come around the corner! Hayden loves (OH MY GOSH!! Hayden just gave Maya a big HUG for no reason!!), sorry... Hayden loves preschool! I sometimes threaten him the day before that he can't go if he's not listening or misbehaving. Generally, things get done when those threats are given. Hayden is a great kid. He can be sweet, thoughtful, caring, adorable and the best little boy. He just has those annoying outbursts of whining, likes to irritate and can be a pain in the rear. I am anxiously awaiting age four as I hear that is better. Fingers crossed!
So this ends the story today. I was just observing the kids at play and thought it'd be a good blog time.
Now, I have a bottle of wine calling my name.....

She's 1 today!

Today is the day I have been dreading for exactly one year. A year ago, I was hugely pregnant and just wanting the baby out. Today, I would give anything to have that feeling back again.

Miss Maya is one today. I have so enjoyed having this little sweetheart around. I've wanted to stop time so many times to keep moments alive. Those moments are way gone and now she's just about walking.

Maya was born with a full head of dark hair which is now blonde and curly. She's popped four teeth and is working on another. From just being able to lay on her back and kick her feet, she's a speed demon crawler who is pretty much walking, but still lands on her butt too much to be considered fully walking. She smiled for me on her one month birthday and now she beams showing off those four teeth and squishing up her nose. She's been long out of the infant carrier that she came home in and is now a front facing diva. And to go along with the diva, she has a drama queen side of her that comes out at times.

We didn't know we were having a girl. I always thought this baby was a girl. One year ago, I had a baby girl. She is all girl and we are enjoying her to the hilt!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS MAYA!!!!

One of my favorite things

One of my absolute favorite things is hearing my kids laugh and have fun, together. Another is that of Daddy joining in on the fun!
I left my kiddos with a babysitter today to go and get my hair cut and colored. Buddy was going to be home before me. I got home about seven thirty. I walked in the house and only heard the sound of Speed Channel. Hmmm..... No Hayden running to the door to welcome me home. No puppy greeting me. I wasn't expecting to hear Maya, thinking she would be in bed. Nope, gate was still up guarding the stairs. No light on in the bathroom, so they weren't hanging out with Daddy while, well, you know.
Are they outside? It's still over a hundred degrees but there they were. I saw a flash of yellow coming towards me with laughs from Hayden and a HUGE smile from Maya. Then, I hear Buddy telling Hayden to turn around and come back.
This is what they were doing:

In the second video, Buddy comments on Maya being in a parade. I think this girl could be a future beauty queen of some kind! She's got the wave goin!!

A shot glass, a fork and a step back to the 80's

So, our little family went camping this 4th of July weekend! It was a blast! We had much fun taking the Rhino out on extremely dusty trails, building fires, walking in the weeds/grass, sleeping in the trailer and freezing in the morning. But, I am not writing a blog about our camping trip. Sorry to disappoint, I am just really irritated with myself, that I have to write it down somewhere, because Buddy doesn't really get it.

Anyway, we get to camp. We are all excited, ready for the fun that's about to happen. We start to unload, set-up and relax. Well, in order for me to do this, I need a ponytail holder. Now. I head to the trailer where we have stocked up our bags and such. Where's my makeup bag? No, I didn't need makeup, that's just what it's called.... I walk into the trailer, look left, right, left (flashback to driver's ed). What?!?! It's not here!!! WTF!

I left my gosh-darn bag in my house, upstairs, in my bathroom, on my vanity. No big deal, if you're a man! I wasn't bummed about not having mascara, eye-liner, or lotion. I was pissed at my self because I FORGOT a hairband, clip, ponytail holder, brush, shampoo, conditioner, soap, deoderant, razor, toothbrush, contact case/solution and glasses!!!!

This is what happens when you are a mother and have to pack for two kids, a puppy and make sure the hubby has everything.

What did I do, you ask? Well, we had to truck it to the nearest stop, which was 17.4 (we clocked it) miles away. Luckily we were camping with some people and we could leave the kids. Who knows what this place would have in store for me! Dove deoderant? Yep! Toothbrush? Yep! Ponytail holders? Yep, although the old kind with the gold metal thing and gold shiney string. For some this may be fine, but for me, I have thick hair that does not like this kind of band that only winds around twice. 80's childhood flashback huh?

Okay, moving on. Contact solution? Took about five minutes to find, but yes, check! Now, what the heck am I going to put the contacts in when they are not in my eyes? Well, no holder is for sale. Cups aren't really useful, too big. Ah Ha! A "Happy Jack Lodge" shotglass!! I collect them, so why not!

I was able to sort-of shower with Buddy's shampoo/conditioner and Huggies ready to go washclothes. However, riding around on a Rhino/Gator (for you Northerners) does not bode well for the hair, pulled back or not. Dust is a horrible thing. After my shower, my hair was snarled and those snarls were not coming out with fingers. Buddy doesn't have hair, doesn't need a brush or comb. The kids don't need one, really. I usually use my fingers for Maya's. So what to do? Break into song!! "Look at this stuff, isn't it neat? Wouldn't you say my collections complete? Wouldn't you think I'm the girl, the girl who has, everything!?" WTF you may say!! A FORK!! A dinglehopper! The Little Mermaid! I "brushed" my hair with a fork for the first legitimite time in my life!

So, now, sitting home, I am so relieved to have had a real shower, my glasses, a strong/sturdy hair holder and smooth limbs. My gums are sore from the bristle brush I used for my teeth. The hair will need another shampooing to make it feel like normal. My eyes may need to go without contacts for the majority of tomorrow. But, the trip was wonderful! I got what I needed and used what I could. The kids had a blast. Buddy and I loved the time together as a family. I wouldn't give back the time spent for all the makeup bags in the world!

It's getting close...

The days are flying by too fast. We have a camping trip next weekend over the 4th of July, two weeks after that, the kids and I head off to Minnesota for a 10 day vacation. Then, just as we arrive home, Maya turns one.

I am not ready for this!!! It's just about a month away. I didn't have this dread when Hayden turned one. I loved each day as it came and went, anticipating what his next move would be. With Maya, knowing she is probably my last baby, I don't like to see her go to bed at night. I don't like to know that the next day she is older, bigger and on to another adventure. I want to keep her little. I looked through her albums yesterday beginning the day she was born and it's hard to remember holding her so tiny.


I was hugely pregnant at this time last year. I loved being pregnant even if I did complain every day towards the end. It was summer in Arizona and it's not a fun thing to have a barrel on your belly. I miss those kicks and hickups and rolls going on inside. I sometimes find myself just putting my hand on that spot just under my belly button trying to remember what those movements felt like. Sigh.....

I'm gonna need a baby fix soon. My brother and sis-in-law better get going soon...

Happy Father's Day Daddy!!!

The kids and I held onto a surprise for Buddy for two months! I am so shocked that Hayden didn't spill the beans! The surprise was a picture of myself and the kids taken by the wonderful photographer, Jackie Lindfors. I had to get them done in April because Jackie was almost 9 months pregnant at the time and wouldn't be able to take them much later!! So, I figured, great! I can do it for a Mother's Day gift to myself!! And, I got some cute pics of Maya in her yellow tutu that I am using for her birthday invitations.
So, because you are dying to see, here they are!!

A definite favorite forever.....This next one is the one we gave to Buddy for Father's Day. I made it into a little 4x6 card so I didn't have to wrap up the 11x14. ;)So, Happy Father's Day Daddy/Buddy!!!!! We love you!!!

We got him a little something else too. Let's just say Buddy and Hayden are going to have an afternoon of fun and "more than meets the eye..."

Three Year Old Blahs

Is anyone else out there or has anyone else out there gone through the dreaded three's? Terrible two's my foot (or ass, whichever you prefer)!!! I am really getting fed up with H lately. I am surprised I haven't lost my voice yet with the amount of voice raising I have done the last year.

~I can say his name repeatedly when I know he is in earshot and I get no response.
~I ask him to please pick up his toys and put them away. Sometimes I get a good clean up, but it's usually because of a threat. Typically, I have to repeat myself 16 or so times before I am just fed up and pick up everything myself and take them away. They get put up high, in places he can see, but cannot reach. I want him to know I can take things from him for not listening and not give them back until I see fit.
Example: Today I told him at least 20 times to pick up his Lincoln Logs. The last five times or so saying if they weren't picked up, they were going to be gone for awhile. Needless to say, they are on the top shelf of the pantry right now. What does he do? Breaks down crying like the world has ended. This crying is the kind where you just want to put him in a room and shut the door because the sound is so flipping irritating.
~Get out of the kitchen when I tell you! He gets in the way constantly. I love when he wants to help, most of the time, but when I am trying to clean up, why is the kitchen his new playroom?!
~Getting dressed! Just do it. Put your clothes on so we can leave. This is typically only on days that don't include preschool since he loves those days. Any other day, FIGHT!
~Teeth brushing. I made sure the dentist told him that mommy and daddy have to brush them first and then he can. Reminders every stinking night. The whole teeth brushing process takes literally 10 minutes when it should be like, what, three?!
~Taking toys from Maya. A toy will be lying on the floor ALL DAY, the second M picks it up, H was playing with it! WTF? Luckily most of the time she doesn't give a crap and moves on, but he's got to know he can't do that!
~Listening to simple commands is like training the dog. "Get your shoes." The response: "What?" This can sometimes get repeated three times before I flip.
~He talks back. "I don't want to talk to YOU!" (Emphasis on the you all the time!) "I said NO", "Stop Talking to ME (sounds more like meh)"
~Don't push your cars in the dining room. Every other day I have to tell him this. He can remember that Grandma has a yellow kayak that he saw once two years ago, but don't play in the dining room is lost on him.
~Sometimes, when he's trying to tell you something, he just starts crying. No reason, just does. He'll ask for something so simple and just start crying when he asks. This, is so not fun. It's typically when he's already done something wrong and he might just be sad. I don't know.
~ There are more, but these are the ones that really push my buttons.

I have to remind myself that he is only three and this will pass. But, enough already! Hurry four!!


On the other hand, he can be the sweetest kid in the world!
~Out of the blue, in the car or just at home I hear, "Mom? I love you."
~He loves his sister. Loves when she wakes up and they play. Always wants her to be outside to play with him.
~He's hilarious! He just says things that make us laugh, hard.
~He's pretty dang smart and is learning things that just baffle me.
~His teacher at preschool and the people who work at the daycare LOVE HIM! I love to hear what a great kid H is. How he is always so sweet, so helpful and just a fun kid to be around. I then wonder where that kid is on days like today, but I love to hear that I am raising a good kid.
~He thinks he should buy everything he sees, but never really asks for it. It's quite funny when he says this. "Mom, I should buy this." I can totally say, maybe someday, but not today and he's fine. He's been so good about not having to have everything he sees. He's never thrown a fit for not being able to get a toy or treat. He's been upset, but hasn't done the embarassing tantrum throwing in a store. I am sooo thankful for this!
~He is a sweet kid. I am very thankful I have such a great little man in my life. We do have our ups and downs, more of the downs lately, but, he's healthy, handsome and my Hayden.


Thanks for the vent...

Miss Independent 10 Monther

My Maya turned 10 months today. I am so sad that time is flying by so dang fast!! She's such fun baby girl and is growing so freakin fast.

She no longer likes to eat from a spoon and I just stocked up on baby food.... Time for trickery and adding it to pasta as a sauce. She's eaten an entire hotdog in one sitting and three chicken nuggets plus a 1/4 of an avocado in another sitting. Very hard to find meats soft enough for someone with two teeth!

She seems to have no interest in walking just yet. Crawling is so much faster! Babbling is so great!! I love listening to Babababa, Dadada, Mamamama, BAH. And she's a screecher! Man, she's got on high pitch. I think she's a soprano. Her drama queen has started appearing. Walk away from her, and she throws her head back, then forward, arms up and face into the floor in a fit. It's a girl! I wouldn't change anything about her for the world. Okay, I'd make her smaller and younger so I could relive these little things.

Yep, she eats rocks. That's what we get for living in Arizona.

No such thing as a full grass yard here.

Oh, and we got a puppy. This is Prada.

Right now

I have just woken up from a much needed nap. Maya has been under the weather the past couple days and sleep was deprived from both of us last night. I got less than four hours and she didn't come close to her much needed eleven. I don't know if it's teeth or a little viral thing. She's got the bulge of a new tooth showing on her top front left with a slight fever. So I blame that.
Buddy has just put her on the floor for some much needed play time and she's just looking at him like, "why Daddy? Why wouldn't you want to cuddle some more?"
She has been such a cuddlebug since she's been feeling crappy. Which I love. She's such a squirmer normally, it's nice to get this cuddle time in while I can. I hate that she's feeling so icky, but again am still loving the cuddly girl now.
Hayden is getting a good serving of Noggin today. I usually let him watch a couple shows after preschool to wind down and then he does his play time stuff. I slept through most of the annoying shows (not really that many) and now Max and Ruby is on. He's mesmerized by this one. And I do not get why..... A brother and sister bunny where the sister basically becomes Mommy and bosses the brother around.
Toys are scattered all over the living room floor and I am in no mood to have Hayden do clean up. I feel a head pushing up between my legs...
Maya has found me sitting in the chair behind my computer. She's just got a hold of my legs and is doing her puppy face cuddle me look. I believe it's bottle time. She hasn't eaten much today. Yep, there's the pout and a cry.
Gotta jet.

Pool Time!

Mother's Day is really early for me to be in the pool. Our pool isn't heated, we leave that up to the sun. Since it's already been in the 100's, the pool is warm enough to enjoy!

It was Maya's first time in the pool and she LOVED it! Her smile seriously never left her face. She was mostly just floating in her little craft, but she kicked and smiled the entire time!

First "submersion".

Her little craft. It's got a cover on it that we did put on (for you UV ray aversion people! and she is slathered in 50 SPF lotion.) :)


This is Hayden "swimming all by himself". I am going to get him signed up for swimming lessons soon. He mostly loves just hanging out on the big step playing in the water with toys, so we need to get him moving!

I was actually in it a couple days prior to this. Hench the major tan/sunburn lines on me!

So, here in Arizona we've already started our summer. In a couple of months, we will be hermits locked in the house with the safety of air conditioning. So all y'all who complained about the duration of winter, that's exactly what I'll be doing because of the summer here.

Happy Summer!!!

9 months and Growing!

So, I have a nine month old baby girl today! Seriously, where did the time go? Last week she was just, like, born.......

(Okay, so she was three weeks here)

And now, here we are.....

Sitting, crawling, laughing, babbling, two teeth, self-feeding, walking around the furniture.

Augh!! Seriously...SLOW DOWN!!!

Love this scrumptious baby girl though. Everyday is a marvelous treasure!!

San Diego!

We left Wednesday afternoon with a 6 hour drive ahead. I was dreading this drive. A three and a half year old and a 8 1/2 month old in my mind did not make for a great traveling pair. Well, that was shot down! Both kids were great car riders! A little whining from Hayden and a few little cries from Maya and that was all. Only one stop to eat and potty and we made it to San Diego well before our estimated time of arrival!

Thursday morning we headed off to SeaWorld! The weather couldn't have been more perfect. Cool in the morning to get us moving and by the end of the day I don't think it made it to 70. Hayden loved seeing all the fish and sealife. We went on rides in the little Sesame Street area, saw the dolphin show, Hayden went on the Journey to Atlantis ride and freaked out, and of course the Shamu show. Miss Maya was a trouper! She was in the stroller just taking it all in. We carried her when she was fussing to get out, but she just looked around and got excited at everything that moved in front of her. Only a couple short naps for this little girl. Too much to see! There were no meltdowns, never a "I want this", Hayden was so excited to just see everything. At the end of the day, we were all tired, a little suntouched, and ready to eat.

The next day, Friday, brought us to the San Diego Zoo. Hayden has been to the Phoenix Zoo's before, but he was younger and doesn't totally remember them. He had a blast looking and finding all the animals. Maya would lock her eyes on many of the bigger animals and chased the fish in the tanks. Mostly, she just loved being outside!

For pics of these two fabulous days, click the link!

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2023597&id=1259767873&l=58864dd4d3

On Saturday, we just went where we wanted. We toured the ships (sorry, names of the ships are not sticking with me!) in the harbor. Walked through Seaport Village, toured the Naval Aircraft Carrier and went down to the beach. Hayden and Daddy loved the Naval ship. Hayden couldn't get enough of the planes and helicopters. He was able to sit in a couple of them and was pretty amazed. He couldn't believe the size of the beds that the crew had to sleep on on the ship. "They're really small!"

The beach was fun. Hayden didn't really like the sand between his toes. He had a hard time walking of course and got his shorts wet, so that was a disappointment to him. But, he seemed to think the ocean was pretty cool. I could tell Maya thought the water was great. The sound of the waves kept her calm and interested. She got her feet in the sand and water. Her feet were found by her hands, where the sand transferred to her fingers, which then transferred to her mouth. Her feet were quickly wiped clean.

All together it came to end a great day and a great trip! The ride home on Sunday morning was the same as the ride there. Both kids were great travelers and I am thanking God for making that happen! We all had a wonderful time in San Diego and I hope this is the beginning to many more family vacations for our little clan!

And for pics of the last day of our adventure, click this link!
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2023601&id=1259767873&l=c90a30c79d

Daddy is Jealous!

If you know Buddy at all, you know he is a HUGE car fan. An all-time favorite is any Ferrari ever manufactured. Needless to say, Buddy is sssoooooo jealous of Hayden!!! (Probably a bit of me too, since he has never sat in a Ferrari before!)
A good friend of mine works at a local BMW dealership and we stopped by today to check out the new location and see Buddy's drool factor. Hayden was a little apprehensive about sitting in this 360 Ferrari, but once he put his hands on the black leather stearing wheel, he was in heaven!

If you can see Maya's expression back there, she was excited too!

Hayden pretty much sat in all the BMW's on the showroom floor and we did get pics of each, but this one takes the cake! Once he got in one, he wanted in all of them. His birthday wish list now includes the Ferrari along with a skateboard, a Corvette and a blue balloon. Two out of four isn't bad!

THANKS RENATE!!!

Holy Crap!

Most people, okay everyone, thinks Hayden looks just like me. I know this, but I don't see it. Until now! I was going through some pics that my mom gave me a couple years ago. And HOLY CRAP! Yep, he looks like me! See for yourself:

Hayden on his 1st birthday!

Me on my 1st birthday!

Hayden, age 3

Me around age 3.

I know these aren't quite as close, but you get the gist. Hard to find exact matches!

And then, there's me and Miss Maya. It's crazy that we all started out around the same size. We don't remember it, we only have pictures to show us. But still, it's really hard to comprehend that the babies we have are just like we were. Know what I mean?
Here's the reason I say this:

Maya, 6 months.

Me, Christmas 1976, 7 1/2 months

This is the only dress my mom saved of mine from way back when. Hopefully, it stays a treasure.
All done with my comparisons. It is crazy to look and see myself in these two. Hayden more so of course. I need to get my hands on some baby pics of Buddy to get some comparisons!

I apologize if this post is all over the place. It looks just fine on my posting page, but doesn't always do the right thing on the actual blog page.